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News in brief 24/06/16

Mick George becomes service provider for the University of Cambridge

Mick George Ltd, a specialist in waste management and aggregate supply, has won a contract to be the new waste service provider for the University of Cambridge.

The company took part in a competitive tender process with other national brands to secure the partnership, which will see it collect and dispose of waste generated from all of the University’s facilities for the next five years.

The ability of Mick George to provide a ‘sustainable and fully auditable’ zero waste to landfill option for managing waste was a ‘key decision factor’ in the university’s choice of waste service provider, it said.

The partnership will aim to help the university to meet its target of sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill by 2020 ahead of time. Its other targets include recycling at least 95 per cent of all waste by 2016 and achieving a continuous reduction in waste generated.

Abigail Johnson, Commercial Manager at Mick George, commented: ‘’Our commercial waste service has established itself as one of our core services since its launch a year ago, and to be awarded such a high profile contract is a testament to the investment and efforts the business has made to make it a success.

“Over the coming years we will be working closely with all departments at the University raising awareness of waste recovery and recycling, and we are looking forward to working with their staff and students over the coming months.”

Glass recycler on track to export 40 per cent

WRL Glass Media Ltd, a Middlesborough-based manufacturer of recycled glass products, is reportedly on track to meet its export target of 40 per cent this year, aiding its planned expansion to the continent.

The company, which is part of the Ward Recycling Group, has exported 4,000 tonnes of produce since February. This is 1,800 tonnes more than the same time last year, which saw the company exporting 30 per cent in total.

Most of WRL’s exports are used for shot-blasting, a process which is used to clean, strengthen or polish metal and used across many industries which use metal in their manufacturing processes.

Demand from European countries has increased due to an interest in purchasing a more environmentally friendly alternative to the grit or plastic products usually used for this process.

WRL also commonly exports ‘more refined’ processed glass to be used in swimming pool filtration systems as its cleaner and cheaper than silica.

Gareth Godwin, Manager at WRL Glass Media, said: “The international demand for the innovative recycled glass products we produce at South Bank, continues to grow.

“Our customer-base across Europe is receptive to the quality and environmental benefits of utilising glass media in their operations – driving demand and investment in our plant.”

Croydon Council’s 'Don’t Mess With Croydon - Take Pride' campaign has now prosecuted 107 fly-tippers and litterers following the latest successful court cases on Tuesday.

Magistrates ordered the 11 latest culprits to pay a total of £4,335 in fines and court costs for offences ranging from fly-tipping waste to littering cigarette ends. Croydon Council’s Don’t Mess campaign launched two years ago to combine enforcement - any resident or business found to have fly-tipped or used an unlicensed waste carrier faces unlimited fines and a possible court conviction- with encouraging over 300 local people to lead litter picks.

Other council initiatives introduced as part of the campaign have included:

Over 1,320 inspections to check businesses have the right waste licences

Encouraging over 240 businesses to sign a pledge to keep their street tidier.

Councillor Stuart Collins, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Clean and Green Croydon, said: “The Don’t Mess campaign is about everyone doing the responsible thing to keep our borough tidy, and these latest prosecutions underline how we will continue to hold fly-tippers and litterers to account.

“I’m proud of the progress made in the two years since we launched this campaign and I look forward to more successes, whether that is continuing to inspire community action or targeting fly-tipping hotspots.”